Thursday, January 31, 2013

Chinese New Year-The Year of the Snake

It is very important for me as a mother to teach my children about different cultures, religions and the world around them. This is what makes our world a beautiful place and I hope my children will always see that with open eyes and heart.
I can't get too deep into these thoughts with my five and two year-old, but what I can do is teach them about the world and the things that we may not see everyday. Help them to see the beauty in days that may not be special here, but somewhere people are celebrating.
The Chinese New Year is upon us, February 10th to be exact. We have learned about several traditions and also that this year is the year of the snake. This prompted us to do some research and find out what animal sign we were born under. Turns out Emma should have personality traits of a pig, Grayson a tiger, Dennis an ox and me a darn goat! This got some silly laughs out of the kids and we moved on to celebrate the year of the snake.

We started with a simple play dough craft. We made some extra special dough which included glitter and used beads and googly eyes to create some fun snakes. Check out the details at The Studio.

Next, we made a moveable beaded snake complete with rattle! We are from the desert so our snake had to have a rattle, of course! Check out my full tutorial at The Studio.

And lastly, a straw puppet snake. I can't tell you how much my children enjoy any sort of puppet. This was no exception. The snake hisses and funny snake voice were a riot! These details are at, you guessed it, The Studio!
I hope this has inspired you to embrace each day, each celebration and each person. I know my children will!
Happy Chinese New Year!